When a failure of one or more hardware components occurs, Q1, Q3 & Q4 flash red. Unlike the one light error, there is no error code displayed on the connected display."

This rather terse description in Microsoft's documentation was of little comfort to those who experienced what came to be known as the 'Red Ring Of Death' on the original Xbox 360. For many, it was pretty much game over for their consoles, which had to be professionally serviced and repaired, or simply replaced.

It was a chapter that undoubtedly dinged Xbox's reputation, although the fact that the Xbox 360 recently celebrated its 26th consecutive month as the world's best selling console certainly indicates that gamers don't hold a grudge over it. All is forgiven, it seems, but perhaps not forgotten, as Microsoft's Phil Spencer this week referred back to the Red Ring Of Death to reassure gamers that it's learnt valuable lessons since then.

Speaking with Edge Online, the head of Microsoft Studios said that the company learned a lot from the Red Ring Of Death, and is "confident" that the new Xbox One, announced earlier this week, won't face the same hardware woes as its predecessor.

"The last Xbox was Trinity [the Xbox 360 S] and our success rate on Trinity was very high," Spencer said. "We learned a ton from the 360 launch and we took care of our customers with the extended warranty, but I think Trinity is telling." He added: "Xbox One is built by the same Trinity team with the same learning that went from the Xbox 360 into Trinity, and I'm confident in the quality of the new box."

Microsoft has responded to claims by the BBC's Watchdog programme that it is charging excessive amounts for Xbox 360 repairs, stating that there is "no systemic issue" with the console.

Last night's episode of the consumer affairs show featured two gamers whose Xbox 360 units had broken after just over a year of use, and were told they would have to pay around GBP 80 to get their consoles fixed.

In an official statement issued to GamesIndustry.biz, Microsoft said that the "vast majority" of Xbox 360 owners have had an "outstanding experience" with the console.

But the platform holder went on to concede: "That being said, we have received a few isolated reports of consoles not working as expected.

"It's important to note that there is no systemic issue with Xbox 360 - each incident is unique and these customer inquiries are being handled on a case-by-case basis."

Microsoft has not revealed details of how many Xbox 360 units have been found faulty, but did state that the return rate is "significantly lower" than the CE industry average of between 3 and 5 per cent.

"Customer satisfaction is our highest priority, and we do everything we can to take care of gamers who may be having problems with their consoles," the company said.

"Anybody having an issue with their Xbox 360 console should call customer service immediately so that we can help. Microsoft voluntarily provides customers with a one year manufacturer's warranty in the UK which operates over and above the legally required retailer warranty for all consumer goods."

Microsoft has responded to claims by the BBC's Watchdog programme that it is charging excessive amounts for Xbox 360 repairs, stating that there is "no systemic issue" with the console. Microsoft

Microsoft has responded to claims by the BBC's Watchdog programme that it is charging excessive amounts for Xbox 360 repairs, stating that there is "no systemic issue" with the console.

Last night's episode of the consumer affairs show featured two gamers whose Xbox 360 units had broken after just over a year of use, and were told they would have to pay around GBP 80 to get their consoles fixed.

In an official statement issued to GamesIndustry.biz, Microsoft said that the "vast majority" of Xbox 360 owners have had an "outstanding experience" with the console.

But the platform holder went on to concede: "That being said, we have received a few isolated reports of consoles not working as expected.

"It's important to note that there is no systemic issue with Xbox 360 - each incident is unique and these customer inquiries are being handled on a case-by-case basis."

Microsoft has not revealed details of how many Xbox 360 units have been found faulty, but did state that the return rate is "significantly lower" than the CE industry average of between 3 and 5 per cent.

"Customer satisfaction is our highest priority, and we do everything we can to take care of gamers who may be having problems with their consoles," the company said.

"Anybody having an issue with their Xbox 360 console should call customer service immediately so that we can help. Microsoft voluntarily provides customers with a one year manufacturer's warranty in the UK which operates over and above the legally required retailer warranty for all consumer goods."

Exactly. You can't take Microsofts word for this. You'll have to watch out for these reports online or take the risk yourself and be an early adopter.

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Exactly. You can't take Microsofts word for this. You'll have to watch out for these reports online or take the risk yourself and be an early adopter.

you also have to take the risk as ps4 or tamagotchi buyer. just because the 360 had such a huge problem doesn't mean that the chance is higher for xbox one as for ps4. you just have to look at the product photos to see that they did everything possible to cool it down. not to forget that it want produce so much heat as 360 did even without cooling.

microsoft increased the warranty to 3 years for the 360 when they had those problems and i have still problems to understand why some people bought like 5 or more consoles. everything produced after mid 2009 or something like that was pretty much perfect in build quality. no clue how people managed to destroy so many consoles before this time without getting a free replacement/repair.

so yes, 360 had huge problems but that has nothing to do with another product just because it's also from this company.

Exactly. You can't take Microsofts word for this. You'll have to watch out for these reports online or take the risk yourself and be an early adopter.

you also have to take the risk as ps4 or tamagotchi buyer. just because the 360 had such a huge problem doesn't mean that the chance is higher for xbox one as for ps4. you just have to look at the product photos to see that they did everything possible to cool it down. not to forget that it want produce so much heat as 360 did even without cooling.

microsoft increased the warranty to 3 years for the 360 when they had those problems and i have still problems to understand why some people bought like 5 or more consoles. everything produced after mid 2009 or something like that was pretty much perfect in build quality. no clue how people managed to destroy so many consoles before this time without getting a free replacement/repair.

so yes, 360 had huge problems but that has nothing to do with another product just because it's also from this company.

The original XBox had problems, too. Even if the console ends up doing amazing stuff, I wouldn't buy it until it has a nice track record with a low failure rate.

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Exactly. You can't take Microsofts word for this. You'll have to watch out for these reports online or take the risk yourself and be an early adopter.

you also have to take the risk as ps4 or tamagotchi buyer. just because the 360 had such a huge problem doesn't mean that the chance is higher for xbox one as for ps4. you just have to look at the product photos to see that they did everything possible to cool it down. not to forget that it want produce so much heat as 360 did even without cooling.

microsoft increased the warranty to 3 years for the 360 when they had those problems and i have still problems to understand why some people bought like 5 or more consoles. everything produced after mid 2009 or something like that was pretty much perfect in build quality. no clue how people managed to destroy so many consoles before this time without getting a free replacement/repair.

so yes, 360 had huge problems but that has nothing to do with another product just because it's also from this company.

The original XBox had problems, too. Even if the console ends up doing amazing stuff, I wouldn't buy it until it has a nice track record with a low failure rate.

I'm probably gonna wait to make sure there are no issues, what issues did the original xbox have though? I dropped mine down the stairs and the thing still worked!!